We live in an era of convenience, and trying to make someone fall in love with you using only your personality is time-consuming. It might be time to try a different kind of charm: ancient Greek magic! The Corespoke with Chris Faraone, Frank Curtis Springer and Gertrude Melcher Springer in Classics, about the kinds of love spells described in his book Ancient Greek Love Magic. Faraone explained that men and women typically used different kinds of spells, an eros spell for men and a philia spell for women. The eros spell was used as more of a curse, designed to cause the woman an unbearable amount of torture which could only be relieved by the man who cast the spell. The philia spell was designed to bind the man closer to the woman, and was related more to healing magic than to torture (which presumably comes in the later stages of the relationship). Below is a sample philia spell from Ancient Greek Love Magic, reproduced by The Core, with sample names included:

A spell for inducing affection (Philia):

Take a silver tablet and inscribe with a bronze stylus the following spell:

“Give to me, Madison, whom Tammy bore, advantage over men and women, especially over Benjamin, whom Barbara bore, forever and for all time.”

Wear it under your garment and you will be victorious.

And if that doesn’t work, we have magic the Greeks didn’t: internet dating.

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